University names new VP for research and economic development

The
University of North Texas will have a new vice president for research and
economic development on campus July 8 — Thomas McCoy of Montana State
University.

McCoy
brings an aggressive plan to double the university’s research expenditures over
the next five years, as well as attract valuable students and faculty.

For the
last 15 years, McCoy has been the vice president for research, creativity and
technology at MSU and last year, oversaw $112 million in research funding.

“I felt
there’s a definite, solid commitment university-wide to enhancing the research
portfolio at UNT, and I felt that I could contribute in some important ways,”
he said. “I just feel like after doing it here for 15 years, I would like a
challenge to take on for the next five years and maybe beyond.”

UNT
President Lane Rawlins said McCoy was the university’s top choice for the
position. Because of his reputation nationally and in Washington, as well as
his forthright attitude during the interview process, everyone Rawlins spoke
with had McCoy marked as the top candidate.

“I feel
very, very fortunate to get him here,” Rawlins said. “I think both his
experience and his can-do attitude, and mostly it’s just that he’s done this.
And he’s done it successfully ... he really was the vice president during the
process by which they became a tier-one university.”

Research
funding at UNT has been growing as the university tries to become a tier-one
institution, a goal outlined in several university documents. For fiscal year
2012, the university generated $21.6 million in research funding, compared to
$13.4 million in fiscal year 2008.

To
continue growing the total dollar amounts of funding, McCoy says he plans to
expand the research portfolio within the 15 research clusters UNT identified in
2010, including renewable bio products and complex logistics systems. These
clusters draw students and faculty across disciplines to focus on specific
research that has widespread interest.

Every one
or two years while at MSU, McCoy identified a specific research theme and
focused specifically on building a stronger team. Once the team was successful,
the return on that investment was used to help build up the next focus, McCoy
explained.

Increased
funding is just one part of the equation to expand UNT as a research
institution, McCoy said. The university must also focus on attracting top
students and faculty, like the recent hire of McCoy’s peer, Richard Dixon, who
joined the UNT faculty in February. Dixon is a leading specialist in metabolic
engineering of plants and previously served as director of the plant biology
division at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Okla.

“He’s a
major strength,” McCoy said. “I know Rick well. I’m a plant scientist myself,
and that’s an area I’m positive that there will be great success.”

Another
large draw to join UNT was a push from former MSU President Geoff Gamble, who
is now UNT’s vice president for strategy and operations. McCoy recalled Gamble
coming back to MSU a few times after working with UNT and talking about the
growth and opportunity in Denton.

“In terms
of what attracted me to UNT was visiting with our former President Gamble, who
has been working down there with President Rawlins,” he said. “There’s
commitment to growing the research program, a lot of excitement around it, and
he encouraged me to consider it.”

Gamble
said he believes McCoy will be a strong asset to the university after seeing
him make major funding accomplishments in five years or less at MSU. McCoy
joined MSU in 1998, which Gamble said was only slightly more advanced than UNT
is currently in terms of research productivity, and by 2005, MSU was generating
$100 million in research funding.

“Tom
McCoy was the architect of that,” Gamble said.

Also
under McCoy’s leadership, the campus was recognized by the Carnegie Foundation
for Advancement of Teaching as a top research university, Gamble noted.

“My
thinking is Tom will really help UNT take the next step forward,” he said. “And
here’s the beauty of it — he understands it takes the whole spectrum of the
institution. The most important thing is he believes, and I believe, a strong
research agenda makes a much stronger foundation for the students.”

Another
goal at UNT will be to expand Discovery Park by developing and increasing
collaborations with outside foundations and private sector businesses.

McCoy
feels he will fit in well at the university, and UNT’s track record of strong
hires made him feel even more confident in his decision to come and implement
new research initiatives.

“It made
me feel like it’s a good fit; these things have to fit both ways,” he said. “I
think the match was made, and I’m going to do everything I can to accomplish
those kinds of goals.”

JENNA DUNCAN can be reached at 940-566-6889
and via Twitter at @JennaFDuncan.

Comments

DentonRC.com is now using Facebook Comments. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then add your comment below. Your comment is subject to Facebook's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service on data use. If you don't want your comment to appear on Facebook, uncheck the 'Post to Facebook' box. To find out more, read the FAQ .